Bergen St between Bedford and Nostrand

knkasumi · July 2008

Hey everyone,

i just moved to this block (bergen between bedford and nostrand) from park pl and bedford. quite a dramatic change. it seems like everyone hangs outside our porch and it's loud as hell. does anyone know if it's safe to walk home late at night from nostrand stop or the franklin stop? i'm a tiny little asian girl.

bikegirl26 · July 2008

We're moving down the street on August 1st...everyone is out at all hours but I find that more comforting than living somewhere completely desolate. I had a post about the next block over, got good replies, feeling good about the neighborhood too (and I'm a not-so-tiny white girl).

Just be smart - don't jam out to your iPod, look alert, etc. I'm sure the other posters can give you some better advice but judging from my recent trips out there you'll be fine.

My friend lives a few blocks over and his roommate (a girl) gets home around 4 AM after her bartender gig. He said she's never had any problems. I have a rule that if it's a) after midnight and b) I'm drunk I'm going to take a car back home...should be around $15 from the East Village. Better to be safe than sorry.

dapearl9 · July 2008

What was said above. I'm a in a little bit of a different position as a guy, but I live by New York and Bergen and frequently walk home from the Nostrand stop or sometimes all the way from Park Slope as late as 1 or 2 am every night and so far I've had no serious problems (the worst thing was a homeless guy tried to trip me once for not giving change a long time ago).

As said above, be smart, put away your iPod. There are usually a decent number of people on Nostrand late at night which I like and it's fairly common to see police out there.

That said, I wouldn't walk back from the Franklin stop at night and would avoid the areas north of Bergen between Bedford and Washington late at night. The area is very desolate and I'm not trying to scare you in saying this, but if something bad were to happen you'd probably be on your own there. I know I don't walk there at night. If you need to travel through those areas, take a cab, the Bergen or Dean St. buses, or go the extra distance to the Nostrand A/C stop.

Other than that, its a great area close to 5 trains (A, C, 2, 3, 4, 5) and there are a bunch of cool places on Franklin Ave such as Bristens and Franklin Park (awesome neighborhood bar on St. Johns near Franklin). Eastern Parkway is beautiful and the park, museum and library are right around the corner.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

brooklynleather · July 2008

I kept seeing listings on Bergen/Pacific near Bedford/Nostrand/Franklin but I am too freaked out by the Armory to live there. My friends lived the next block over and constantly had their car broken into and random dudes breaking into the lobby of their building. The latter less constant, but it happened.

knkasumi · July 2008

it's totally fine by franklin and closer to park pl...i used to live there this past year. it's loud on my block but it seems pretty creepy to walk on bedford at night back to bergen from eastern pkwy...equally creepy (with too many people and possible harassment) coming from nostrand (AC). i've been riding my bike to and from places but it seems that may not be a reliable option in the winter. btw, anyone interested in having a meet the neighbors get-together? my bf and i are starting to feel alittle isolated on this block.

dapearl9 · July 2008

I'd be down for meet the neighbors get-together and I'm sure my roommate would be too. I work a weird schedule though (til 9pm weeknights in midtown) which makes it hard for me but maybe something after 10pm or on the weekend sometime. If I'm around the neighborhood I'm always down for Franklin Park.

drkman · July 2008

That block is busy in the summer but once the weather cools down it should be somewhat quiet.

obamanut · July 2008

Subject: Re: Bergen St between Bedford and Nostrand

knkasumi wrote: Hey everyone,

i just moved to this block (bergen between bedford and nostrand) from park pl and bedford. quite a dramatic change. it seems like everyone hangs outside our porch and it's loud as hell.

If you are talking about the steps in front of people's houses, here in NY we call those not "porches" but "stoops," e.g. "In Crown Heights people often sit out on their stoops until late at night."

Thanks.

brooklynleather · July 2008

ha true.

shake · July 2008

I think you will be fine if you walk down Bedford to get to Bergen. I always see police driving around that neighborhood and there is normally a cop car in front of the Armory when I drive by. Maybe you should come out to the bbq on the 17th of August near the bandshell in PP. it would be a great opportunity for you and your bf to meet some of your neighbors.

shake · July 2008

if your coming home really late maybe people hanging out on the steps isn't that bad.

moominpapa · July 2008

if your coming home really late maybe people hanging out on the steps isn't that bad.

Unless you happen to be a white guy and don't mind getting called "cracker" a lot. At least, that's been my experience.

Man, I need to move...

But to add something relevant to the conversation, there can be occasional racial/class tensions in CH (which you may or may not experience, varies block to block). It can be a little jarring if you aren't used to it.

em26 · August 2008

knkasumi wrote: btw, anyone interested in having a meet the neighbors get-together? my bf and i are starting to feel alittle isolated on this block.

Meet the neighbors/brooklynians bbq get together :

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44160

daver · August 2008

moominpapa wrote:
if your coming home really late maybe people hanging out on the steps isn't that bad.
Unless you happen to be a white guy and don't mind getting called "cracker" a lot. At least, that's been my experience.

Man, I need to move...

But to add something relevant to the conversation, there can be occasional racial/class tensions in CH (which you may or may not experience, varies block to block). It can be a little jarring if you aren't used to it.

FWIW I've been at Nostrand and St. Johns for about a year and a half now, and although I have had a couple decent racial incidents, I can count the numbers of times that something like that has happened on one hand. Maybe two. Eh, one is probably sufficient.

On the other hand, my buddy has this shirt:

I think it would probably go over good in CH.

Perhaps you should pick up one of these:

moominpapa · August 2008

daver, you're the best. That totally made my day.

lilbangladesh · August 2008

People don't really hang out on their stoops on my block. Which is unfortunate, I think. Interacting with the neighbors is cool. And it would make things a bit safer at night, I think. There used to be one guy who would sit on his stoop playing his boom box at a moderate volume all day long last fall when it was still warm. And it was always something cool, like Miles Davis. I haven't seen him all spring or summer. Dammit, Boom Box Guy, I miss you!

There is a group of guys that hang out on the stoop of the abandoned house. They're all from my building and pretty cool.

In general, people have been nice and friendly here and I've had almost no problems. I get hit on a lot, but usually in a polite, gentlemanly way. "Miss, do you need help carrying that?"

The few nasty interactions I've had seem to have more to do with my gender (female) than with my race (white), mostly men who think I owe them something because they "pay the bills", never mind that I've never met them before, they've never paid any of my bills, and they just hit me up for $5 so they can buy a candy bar at a natural food store.

Most people here are pretty upstanding, but the panhandlers are the most brazen and aggressive I've ever met.

daver · August 2008

lilbangladesh wrote: People don't really hang out on their stoops on my block.

Must be block by block, because I'm a block away from you and it is stoop sitting city here.

Bergen St between Bedford and Nostrand

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories